d.i.y. lace printed fabric.

I have been loving this lace-printed coffee table here for the last couple of months, but since I am currently not in very great need for a coffee table I have trying to think up new ways to use this technique.  I have been wanting to experiment with more fabric printing lately so I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to try out something new!  I really love how the fabric turned out, the lace pattern transferred surprisingly well, the lace pattern is the clearest when the light filters through it [image above]  and it is a bit more muted when viewed in the shade [last image.]

I'm excited to use my newly printed fabric in a new little sewing project, so check back next monday to see a new d.i.y. to make something sweet with your lace-printed fabric too!

things you need:
_lace fabric or doilies.
_solid coloured cotton fabric.
_a spray bottle.
_contrasting coloured fabric paint.  I used the multi-purpose martha stewart craft paint in lake fog, satin finish.

1_cover your work surface, I used an unfolded garbage bag to cover my kitchen table and protect it from being covered in fabric paint! Place your ironed, unfolded cotton on top, taping down the corners with duct tape to keep it from moving around.  Place the lace on top, again taping the corners while pulling the lace taunt.  I used a metre of cotton and a metre of lace.
2_ fill your spray bottle with the entire bottle of fabric paint and add enough water to make the paint liquidy.  Do a few test sprays, you don't want it to be so watery that barely any paint is being misted, but you also want enough water to keep the paint from spraying heavy and splotchy.
3_start spraying your fabric.  Try and spray directly downwards, about 10 cm away from the surface, to keep the paint from spraying at an angle and bleeding under the lace.
4_continue spraying until the desired fabric surface is covered.  I ended up spraying about half a metre of fabric.  You could also experiment with spraying the lace in pieces, printing just a few random bunches of flowers instead of spraying in a solid line!  This is a fun time to experiment with all the different patterns you can get!  Let the paint dry for about an hour before using.  Your lace can be saved and re-used for more stencil projects!

I really like how the lace print turned out, I didn't really know what to expect and I really like how subtle and soft it is under normal light and how the pattern comes out really strongly when light filters through.  I can't wait to make it into another sweet little project, so don't forget to check back next monday!

p.s. - today is my 50th blog post! It feels rather nice to have made it past 10!  xo. T.

d.i.y. fabric flower crown.

So, it is officially summertime now. Or at least it is supposed to be, yesterday was the first time I've seen the sun for an extended period of time. But besides sunshine, summertime also makes me excited for casual evenings, reading on the front porch, wandering walks through downtown and little craft projects to fill out the in-between times. Which is exactly what this project is perfect for. I have had a very longstanding love affair with headbands, I have been wearing them since I was a baby. I'm not lying. Although I tend to wear them less now I think they are a fun, slightly whimsical addition to an outfit.

They also look really cute with my new bangs.

Anyways, this is a super quick and easy d.i.y to add some floral magic to your summer and a little bit more understated than some of the larger, silk flower  floral crowns floating around out there.  Still sweet, it just looks a little bit less like an actual flower garden is growing out of your forehead.  I think this may be one of my favourite d.i.y projects so far!

What you need:
_fabric, mine is a soft grey polka dot cotton, but you can really choose anything.
_thread.
_sewing machine or needle and thread.
_rotary cutter and cutting mat.
_headband.  mine is from the "supplies" section of Etsy.
_glue gun.

1_cut out six 1" x 22" strips of fabric.  As you can clearly tell it doesn't really matter if they're perfect.
2_ stitch along the length of each strip using the loosest basting stitch, making sure to leave a good length of thread on either end.  Note: you could also do this with a needle and thread, sewing long, loose stitches, it would just take longer.  Gather each strip of fabric to roughly half its length by gently alternately pulling on the top two threads, spreading out the gathers somewhat evenly. 
3_using a hot glue gun and starting at one end start forming your rosette by rolling the end inwards a bit and gluing.  Continue wrapping the fabric around, while fanning it outwards, gluing every 1/4 turn or so until you have reached the end of your fabric strip and formed a rosette flower.
4_repeat for all strips of fabric.
5_by this point the fabric edges will have started to fray.  Trim off the excess threads.  The flowers will fray a bit over time and you can either leave it or cut them off every once in a while.
6_using a glue gun, apply a small amount of glue to a headband and attach flowers individually, starting in the centre and working your way outwards.

We took these pictures in a lot that used to house my favourite vintage store, but met an untimely death by fire.  Although I do miss that store I love how the lot has become completely overgrown with prairie plants: purple vetch, fox tails, wild rhubarb, and some tiny little yellow flowers I don`t know the name of.  I love love the prairies.  xo.  T.